This invention relates in general to lighting fixtures that are supported on a motor vehicle. In particular, this invention relates to a structure for pivotally supporting a light on a movable truck tilt bed.
A variety of motor vehicles are known in the art to include a movable tilt bed for carrying a load. For example, a tow truck may use a tilt bed for supporting and transporting a vehicle thereon. As is well known in the art, the tilt bed of the tow truck can be pivoted from a generally horizontal orientation to an inclined orientation, wherein a winch or other device may be used to pull the vehicle onto the tilt bed. Thereafter, the tilt bed can be returned to the horizontal orientation to transport the vehicle.
Because such transport and other operations may take place in areas that are congested with traffic, or may occur in inclement weather or at night, warning lights are commonly mounted on the tilt bed. It is known that such warning lights may be mounted on the vehicle such that they shine rearwardly and alert approaching traffic of the presence of the tow truck. In some instances, such warning lights can be directly mounted on the tilt bed of the tow truck.
In the past, such warning lights have been formed from incandescent bulbs that emit light in all directions. More recently, however, newer lighting technologies, such as bulbs formed with light-emitting diodes (also referred to as LED bulbs), are used that project narrow beams of light in fewer directions. When such LED bulbs are directly mounted on the tilt bed of the tow truck and the tilt bed is pivoted to load or unload the vehicle, such warning lights may not shine sufficiently brightly to alert the approaching traffic of the potential hazard. Instead, the narrow beams of light generated by these warning lights may primarily shine only a relatively short distance downwardly onto the road upon which the tow truck is located. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved structure for a vehicle warning light that addresses this potential problem.